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The days of running backs posting stellar single-season statistics seemed like a thing of the past, as most NFL teams have moved toward a committee approach when building out their RB rooms. In 2024, however, Saquon Barkley revived the idea of a workhorse, showing that a team can win a ring while relying on one back to carry the load, catch passes and protect the quarterback.
That used to be common in the NFL — feeding your primary running back until they broke down. The most talented running backs of all time, like Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders, took that heavy volume, blended it with efficiency and maximized it — similar to Barkley, who could have been higher on this list if the Philadelphia Eagles hadn’t asked him to sit out the final week of last season.
Here are the running backs who have rushed for the most yards in a single season:
Which NFL players have rushed for the most yards in a single season?
10. Earl Campbell: 1,934 yards in 1980
Campbell dominated the NFL from the moment he entered it, leading the league in rushing yards in both his rookie and sophomore seasons. He did the same in his third year, raising the bar even more, as he rushed for 1,934 yards on 373 carries. During that 1980 season, Campbell was head and shoulders above his positional peers, including Hall of Famer Walter Payton, whom Campbell outpaced by almost 500 yards while appearing in one fewer game. Campbell had back-to-back 200-plus-yard games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals, and rushed for a season-high 206 yards against the Chicago Bears. He ultimately helped the Houston Oilers achieve an 11-5 record.
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9. O.J. Simpson: 2,003 yards in 1973
Simpson broke out in 1972 when he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time, but he truly solidified himself when he followed that season up by breaking the 2,000-yard threshold. In 1973, he had the most carries of his career (332) and turned it into 2,003 yards. His best performance came in Week 1 of that season, when he posted 250 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Simpson also book-ended the regular-season with a pair of stellar outings, rushing for 219 yards on 22 carries, essentially 10 yards per attempt, and then following that up with another 200-yard game.
8. Saquon Barkley: 2,005 yards in 2024
Barkley’s talent was unquestionable, but his ceiling had been tempered because of injuries and a porous supporting cast with the New York Giants. But, when both those things fell into place in 2024, Barkley’s true potential was unleashed. After signing with the Eagles, he was able to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL on an offense loaded with perimeter talent, and he stayed healthy throughout the year. It all combined to result in a career-best season where he rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 scores while helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX victory.
7. Chris Johnson: 2,006 yards in 2009
As a player, Johnson paired track speed with point guard vision, allowing him to find holes and burst through them. He put together a stellar season in his rookie year, rushing for over 1,200 yards in 15 games. He then built on that with one of the most efficient seasons in history, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009.
6. Terrell Davis: 2,008 yards in 1998
Davis was a power back who excelled at running through the tackles, but he also had breakaway speed. He had four superb seasons with the Denver Broncos, where he just got better every year, culminating with him rushing for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1998. After he tore his ACL and only played four games the following season, his career largely tailed off, and he never returned to the peak of his powers, appearing in just 17 out of a possible 48 games for the Broncos over the last three seasons of his career.
5. Derrick Henry: 2,027 yards in 2020
Henry’s career-best 2020 season with the Tennessee Titans almost didn’t happen, as the team initially used the franchise tag on him, and he began to explore his options to play elsewhere. Eventually, the two sides agreed to terms before the July 15th deadline and Henry rewarded the Titans with a historic year. He rushed for a league-leading 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns and helped the Titans win the AFC South.
4. Barry Sanders: 2,053 yards in 1997
Regarded as maybe the best running back of all time, Sanders rushed for over 1,350 yards in every season of his career that he was healthy (nine out of 10). His penultimate season was his best, statistically. If you look at volume, his 6.1 yards per carry in 1997 was the most efficient of any running back who’s had over 300 touches in a single season.
3. Jamal Lewis: 2,066 yards in 2003
Two years removed from a season-ending ACL tear, Lewis showed the NFL what he can do when talent meshes with health. He turned a career-high total of 387 carries into 2,066 rushing yards while helping the Baltimore Ravens to a 10-6 season. Lewis was a power running back by trade, never showing much finesse or flash to the point that he didn’t sport gloves and bowled defenders over with bare-handed stiff-arms.
2. Adrian Peterson: 2,097 yards in 2012
Peterson had one of the best blends of strength and speed the position has ever seen. If longevity is your priority, there’s an argument that Peterson was the best running back of all time. He certainly sustained success for as long as anyone, rushing for 1,042 yards in his 12th NFL season and 898 in his 13th year (both with Washington). He led the NFL in rushing yards in three separate seasons, but his best was in 2012 when he averaged 6.0 yards per carry to turn 348 attempts into 2,097 yards.
1. Eric Dickerson: 2,105 yards in 1984
In Dickerson’s second season in the NFL, he became the only running back to ever surpass the 2,100-yard mark. His record for single-season rushing yards has lived for over 40 years now, and seemed insurmountable until Barkley was on track to take it down this season. But, Barkley sat out the final regular-season game with the Eagles locked in as the No. 2 seed, and Dickerson’s record remained intact. The Rams fed him like an absolute workhorse. In 1986, he had 404 carries, the fourth-most in a single season, and had three other separate seasons with 379 or more carries. But in 1984, his stand-up-straight, patient-with-quick-bursts style of running peaked, as he averaged a career-best 5.6 yards per carry to set a mark that may never be taken down.
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